The present invention relates to a method and a system for simulating a structural system including a drive mechanism or a controlling drive mechanism. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and a system for simulating a structural system including a drive mechanism or a controlling drive mechanism suitable for when testing of a controlled object is difficult due to the large length and/or size of the object or where an expected use environment for the object is difficult to simulate.
K. Takanashi, et al., "Japanese Activity on ON-Line Testing", J. of Engineering mechanics, ASCE. Vol. 113, 1987, pp. 1014-1028 discloses an excitation test and a numerical calculation through an on-line computer test.
R. W. Clough, "Dynamics of Structures", McGraw-Hill Kogakusha, Ltd., 1982, pp. 575-578 discloses excitation of a structure and an equation of motion.
A drive mechanism constituting of an actuator and a control unit therefore has been added to a structure in order to control position, velocity, acceleration and so forth on one or more points on the structure. Designing of a control system for the drive mechanism is analytically performed using dynamic characteristics of a controlled object structure, as well as the capacity and dynamic characteristics of the drive mechanism.
However, when the characteristics of the drive mechanism are different from those of a model for analysis, it is possible that a control requirement cannot be satisfied. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the performance of the drive mechanism, namely whether a targeted control can be achieved.
Conventionally, a performance evaluation test for the drive mechanism set forth above has been performed by actually constructing the controlled object structure, or the model of the structure and a controlled drive mechanism and by applying an expected external force and so forth to the controlled object structure.
However, when the structure of the controlled object has a large length and/or huge size, such as a high-rise building and so forth and when the controlling drive mechanism is an active mass damper, it has been difficult to evaluate the performance of the damper by a whole structure test before constructing the building.
On the other hand, when the use environment of the controlled object structure and the controlling drive mechanism is difficult to realize, such as weightlessness in space very high pressure at large depths under sea level, or so forth, the evaluation of the performance of the drive mechanism has been difficult. Also, simulation of the overall structure including the structure of the controlled object and the drive mechanism is equally difficult.
C. P. Price, "Space automation and robotics", AEROSPACE AMERICA, page 851 has introduced a technology for performing a test for a spacial structure on the earth.
The above-mentioned prior art is disadvantageous that it is difficult to implement the performance evaluation test for the controlling drive mechanism when the controlled object structure is difficult to be actually realized for a large length and/or huge size, or when the use environment cannot be realized. Also, the evaluation of performance of the overall structural system has been difficult.